THOUSANDS of extra boats could arrive in Liverpool if the Leeds-Liverpool Canal is extended to the Pier Head.

British Waterways has now formally applied for planning permission for the new link which will connect the city's Central and South docks.

The canal link will flow in front of the current Three Graces and possibly the new Fourth Grace at the Pier Head.

An economic study has predicted the development will attract 4,500 visiting boats each year, generating an estimated #2.2m for the local economy.

It would also create nearly 200 new jobs and bring in an extra 200,000 tourists spending #1.9m annually.

Adrian Sains, North West Waterways general manager, said: "The link will have a beneficial impact upon the landscape and character of the Central and South Docks.

"The reintroduction of water-based traffic will not only provide redevelopment potential to an under-used and undervalued area but will also bring economic regeneration to life."

The plans would extend the current canal line by a further three and a half miles.

At the moment, boats are forced to attempt a potentially dangerous voyage up the River Mersey to travel between the existing canal terminus at Stanley Dock in Vauxhall to the Pier Head.

Major work will also include the excavation of Trafalgar Dock, near the ferry terminal, creating 470 metres of new channel.

A new lock and road bridge will be built at the northern end of the link at Princes Dock, where it will flow to the plaza at the Pier Head and past the future Fourth Grace development into Canning Dock.

Mr Sains said the link would be a crucial part of plans to revitalise the Liverpool waterfront.

He added: "The adoption of a sensitive and quality design philosophy of the canal link will ensure that it will promote a positive impression at the Pier Head and throughout its entire length.

"The canal link will be fully integrated with the other exciting projects that are being undertaken in the lead-up to Capital of Culture."

Preparation work should start later this year when construction begins on a cruise liner terminal at the Pier Head that will provide landing facilities for large ships like the Queen Mary II.

The canal link is due to open in spring 2007, in time for Liverpool's 800th anniversary and the city's reign as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Public consultation in 2001 revealed 77% of people favoured the proposed route.

British Waterways manages 2,000 miles of inland waterways in the UK.

The longest canal in Britain>>>>

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The longest canal in Britain>

AT MORE than 127 miles, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal is already the longest in Britain.

It links Liverpool to the River Aire and Calder Navigation at Leeds, forming a through route between the Irish Sea and the North Sea.

In the middle of the 1700s, Yorkshire was a well-established woollen manufacturing area, while Lancashire's industries were still in their infancy.

They hoped to expand the market for their cloth by gaining access, through Liverpool, to the growing colonial markets in Africa and America.

They also found Liverpool merchants were more interested in acquiring a good supply of coal from Wigan and a new link was eventually built.

The canal was such a successful method of transport that Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway had to make some of its workers redundant due to the competition.

It was only when road transport developed after World War I that trade really declined.

Coal remained the main cargo but demand declined as industry changed over from steam to electric power.

Canalside collieries closed or coal quality declined, and the last regular traffic, from Plank Lane colliery at Leigh to Wigan power station, ceased in 1972.